Customs Agent Recommendations (Sydney)

[lwells]

Hi Guys,

The time to send in my application for import approval is drawing closer (still two months away, but better than six! ) so if I want to declare a customs agent on the application form I should really get around to choosing one.

So with that in my does anyone have any particular recommendations? I contacted the one that Prestige recommends -- Control Global Logistics -- who seemed pleasant enough, but that's hardly an indication of the quality of their service

Edit: The reason I want a good one is the original GT-R wheels will be coming in sitting in the car, so I want someone who will get off their backside and make sure the wheels don't get pinched

Cheers,

Lucien.

[Mr_G]

Hey mate, I just got my R33 from Geoff @ Prestige and I went through Control Global logistics. Basically no one can touch your car when its sitting at the docks in Sydney. I had to pick mine up from Glebe, and the security is pretty complex down there, so I doubt your wheels will get shafted!!! Just make sure you pick up your car as soon as its allowed to pick up, cause you might have to pay storage fees for each day your car sits there.

On the other hand, when you take it to Quaranteen (Not sure on spelling?), thats what you got to watch. I had my Quaranteen done by Hobbs just up the road, and that is so so dodgy!!!

I doubt they will need to clean those GTR wheels as I had a set of stock wheels with my 33 that didnt get cleaned, however you can prob get away with taking them home in your car. ie, put them in your car before you take the GTR to Hobbs.

And as for security in Hobbs, good luck. They pretty much lock your car up, by parking it next to 2 shipping containers and a wall, then putting another container in front. The money you have to pay for the cleaning and quaranteen is the biggest waste ever, however it must be done to get it cleared...

As for control Global logistics, there pretty cool so you will have no dramas with them.

If you want any more info, feel free to PM me

Cheers mate

[lwells]

Mr_G: The problem is that a number of people have reported items being stolen by dock workers (rather than people of the streets).

I have thought Control Global Logistics would have organised quarantine (ie. is that partly the point of getting a customs agent, so they take care of this kind of thing).

Anyway, cheers for the feedback.

If anyone has negative experiences, PM me

Lucien.

[ed]

Can you buy some sort of insurance?

Does your shipping insurance pretty much only cover from dock to dock?

[lwells]

Can you buy some sort of insurance?

Does your shipping insurance pretty much only cover from dock to dock?

Shipping insurance covers damage to the vehicle, not loss of property AFAIK. The bastards can get away with it because no where on the shipping documents are items travelling in the car listed (unlike, say, if you sent items in a container) so you can't "prove" the items were there.

LW.

[Mr_G]

Hmmm, well another measure you could probably take is to maybe get a chain and lock for your wheels to get chained together in Japan, and the key sent out to yourself. Are you getting it shipped in a container? If so, you need to be present when they open the container, so no one else can open it.

The chain idea could work, cause I doubt a wharfie would be walking round trying to drag 4 wheels tied together. However anything goes. Just try to pick up your car ASAP.

Nothing went missing from my car, all I had left laying around was 4 stock r33 wheels in my boot, the shift knob and stereo were sent out in the mail to me from Japan.

But just as a warning, try leave your car at Hobbs as minimal time as possible, because it seems heaps dodgy!!!

Cheers

[lwells]

Mr_G: I guess a chain could put them off, but bolt cutters are not exactly rare and would deal with that problem very easily (its also the sort of thing I would expect is available on a wharf).

Sorry, just to check this again, you had to organise quarantine yourself -- CGL didn't do it for you?

Cheers,

Lucien.

[fatz]

ii be suprised if it makes it to aus with the rims still in the boot

very suprised

very very suprised

but then again stranger things have happend

[lwells]

fatz: well, crime rates are seriously lower in Japan than Australia, so I would trust a Japanese wharf much more than an Australian one

Either way, it sucks that people take advantage.

Lucien.

[Mr_G]

Well my father did most of the paper work with CGL as im currently at college, however im pretty sure they organised it, they recomended hobbs as it was up the road, I guess you can take it to any Quaranteen but at your own expense.

Hobbs was just up the road from Glebe Docks, so thats why I took it there. I guess its best to give CGL a call and make a few inquiries to be on the safe side

[Blitz]

Lucen, I used Control Global Logistics and dealt with Colin. Very helpful.

[dairyboy]

Hobbs is pretty much the only choice..if you priced the other guys who's eligible to do it, Hobbs by far is the cheapest. Plus if you drive the car or even tow it, AQIS have argued foreign soil could be blown off your car while it's being transported or driven so they could technically give you a fine for that. Safest thing to do keeping these idiots happy is to send it down to Hobbs.

As with the rims, I am fairly sure they will survive. At least my EVC, turbo timer, gauges and a good number of other gadgets survived. The only thing vanished is the head unit but that's pretty much expected. Even the stacker is still up the arse end. There were times I've had exhaust, suspension, bodykit sitting neatly up the back and it made the trip..

Clearing it out of Customs isn't as scary as it sound so long you've got all the paperwork that they wanted. Then again with a customs broker might save you a bit of hassle with those idiots at Link Rd. Lately they've been shafting people for minor thing.

Hey sounds like it's time for me to do a FAQ on how to clear cars out

[Duncan]

Hey sounds like it's time for me to do a FAQ on how to clear cars out

Top idea Its all yours

[fatz]

yea its all about luck

all my cars except for one have had several things removed

when you have inported a few you just get used to it in the end

lol

[raz0r$harP.UK]

I used Control Global and only had one minor problem - that I didn't read the payment options properly. On the day I went to pay them and pick up my car from the wharf, I was shattered when told they only accepted a bank cheque / cash (I had a personal cheque). But that's my bad. Came back the next day with the bank cheque and it was fine. They had previously organised the AQIS inspection (car was clean so it didn't need to go to Hobbs), and they gave me all the paperwork I just took it down to Glebe, and they gave me the keys.

PS - car will be empty of fuel so if you are driving it away, bring a jerrycan.

This time (another car on boat as I speak), I'm trying to do it all myself, save a couple of hundred dollars. Bit of a learning curve but if it all goes well (I'll know next week), then I'll be more than happy to help anyone with the process.

[lwells]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the feedback -- really appreciate it. Looks like GCL are not a bad bunch at all (the guy a spoke to a few months ago was quite jovial and helpful [can't remember if it was colin or con]).

Blitz: that reminds me, must get in touch with that compliancer you recommended.

dairyboy: Normally I would do the paperwork myself, but its likely to fall during exams at Uni plus the only other person authorised to deal with it will likely be even busier, so rather than have the car sit around on the docks its just easier to pay what is a small sum anyway ($150 last time I checked) and get it done ASAP.

raz0r$harP: Can you just expand on how you/they managed to avoid these Hobbs guys, since they sound like they are worth ... err.. avoiding

Thanks again guys

Lucien.

[mindflux]

Your GTR wheels will not get sotlen by the warfies. they are too big for the warfies to steal

your stereo and boost guages will proberly go missing though

[lwells]

Your GTR wheels will not get sotlen by the warfies. they are too big for the warfies to steal

your stereo and boost guages will proberly go missing though

Thing is I have heard (and not just a mate of a mate of a mate of a friends cousin ... etc) of people having wheels lifted out of their cars. In fact wasn't there an SAU member who had this happen to them about two months ago?

Luckily my car is so stock all they could steal is the 15 year old original stereo. Wish they would: would save me the effort of removing it (No boost gauges, etc either)

Lucien.

[Serious-Seven]

I have imported my car via J-Spec and they said i get Insurence...

but if something gets stolen as in boost controller,wheels etc its not there problem.

id ask geoff for more info on it.

[lwells]

Serious-Seven: As I said above, the insurance is only for damage to the car in shipping and doesn't cover theft of loose items. As there is no inventory of the items in the car, its easy for people to steal stuff and claim you have no proof the car was shipped with it from Japan.

Hence the need to get someone good to get to the car ASAP

Lucien.